By Sharing Prosperity Most Evenly, Norway Wins Again

For the 12th year in a row, Norway has earned the honor of being listed as the best country in the world to live.

The ranking appears in the United Nations Development Programme’s 2015 Human Development Report. The agency uses the Human Development Index (HDI) to score nearly 200 countries on factors including life expectancy at birth, average years of schooling, and gross national income per capita.

“Norway has over time managed to increase its income, and at the same time ensured that incomes are relatively evenly distributed,” Jens Wandel, head of UNDP’s administrative department, told the Norwegian News Agency.

“Norway has also succeeded in investing in education and in health. In addition, Norway has a high level of equality between men and women, and these things typically go hand in hand with a high human development level,” Wandel said.

The U.S. came in at number 8 on the list, while Eritrea, the Central African Republic, and Niger made the bottom of the list.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator, said the publication “is an urgent call to tackle one of the world’s great development challenges—providing enough decent work and livelihoods for all. “

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